Preparation of Calcium Alginate-Based Hydrogels with Precisely Designed Centrosymmetric Geometries for Efficient Water Evaporation in Response to Different Solar Incidence Angles.

Hydrogels are popular materials for desalination and can significantly reduce the vaporization enthalpy of water; however, there are few reports on hydrogels with a controllable multilevel structural design for water evaporation. Herein, a calcium alginate and traditional Chinese ink-based evaporator (CIE) are proposed and fabricated using directed freezing technology to construct radial channels, followed by freeze-drying and physical cross-linking. Because of the squeezing of ice crystals and the shaping effect of the PDMS template, the prepared evaporator exhibits a sea-urchin-shaped highly geometrical centrosymmetric structure with numerous multilevel pore channels, which promotes the rapid transport of water under different solar incidence angles as the sun rotates as well as overcomes the structural shrinkage of the hydrogel caused by insufficient water supply.

[1+5] Cyclization of Indoline-Derived Azadienes with 1,3,5-Triazinanes: An Efficient Protocol for the Synthesis of Indoline-Spiro-Hexahydropyrimidines.

An unprecedented formal [1+5] cyclization of indoline-derived azadienes with 1,3,5-triazinanes has been realized, providing a facile access to biologically important indoline-spiro-hexahydropyrimidines with good to excellent yields (up to 99 % yield). Different from previous reports, this is the first study that indoline-derived azadienes could participate in cyclizations as one-atom synthons. This methodology is also distinguished by not involving any additive or catalyst, readily available starting materials, wide range of substrate applicability, operational simplicity and simultaneously reassembling two C-N and two C-C bonds in one-step reaction.

Cyanobacteria-probiotics symbionts for modulation of intestinal inflammation and microbiome dysregulation in colitis.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is often associated with excessive inflammatory response and highly dysregulated gut microbiota. Traditional treatments utilize drugs to manage inflammation, potentially with probiotic therapy as an adjuvant. However, current standard practices often suffer from detrimental side effects, low bioavailability, and unsatisfactory therapeutic outcomes.

Modified montmorillonite armed probiotics with enhanced on-site mucus-depleted intestinal colonization and HS scavenging for colitis treatment.

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are often associated with dysregulated gut microbiota and excessive inflammatory microenvironment. Probiotic therapy combined with inflammation management is a promising approach to alleviate IBD, but the efficacy is hindered by the inferior colonization of probiotics in mucus-depleted inflammatory bowel segments. Here, we present modified montmorillonite armed probiotic Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (MMT-Fe@EcN) with enhanced intestinal colonization and hydrogen sulfide (HS) scavenging for synergistic alleviation of IBD.

Optimizing Prediction of In-Hospital Mortality in Elderly Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Nomogram Approach Using the Age-Adjusted Charlson Comorbidity Index Score.

Background: To study the age-adjusted Charlson comorbidity index (ACCI) scale, which is a comprehensive quantification of multimorbidity coexistence, for the assessment of the risk of acute myocardial infarction death in elderly people.

Methods And Results: A total of 502 older patients with acute myocardial infarction were studied at Qilu Hospital from September 2017 to March 2022. They were categorized on the basis of ACCI into low (≤5), intermediate (6, 7), and high (≥8) risk groups.

Thy1-ApoE4/C/EBPβ double transgenic mice act as a sporadic model with Alzheimer's disease.

Early onset familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD) with APP, PS1/2 (presenilins) mutation accounts for only a small portion of AD cases, and most are late-onset sporadic. However, majority of AD mouse models are developed to mimic the genetic cause of human AD by overexpressing mutated forms of human APP, PS1/2, and/or Tau protein, though there is no Tau mutation in AD, and no single mouse model recapitulates all aspects of AD pathology. Here, we report Thy1-ApoE4/C/EBPβ double transgenic mouse model that demonstrates key AD pathologies in an age-dependent manner in absence of any human APP or PS1/2 mutation.

Telomerase-related advances in hepatocellular carcinoma: A bibliometric and visual analysis.

Background: As a critical early event in hepatocellular carcinogenesis, telomerase activation might be a promising and critical biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients, and its function in the genesis and treatment of HCC has gained much attention over the past two decades.

Aim: To perform a bibliometric analysis to systematically assess the current state of research on HCC-related telomerase.

Methods: The Web of Science Core Collection and PubMed were systematically searched to retrieve publications pertaining to HCC/telomerase limited to "articles" and "reviews" published in English.

A Neutrophil Hijacking Nanoplatform Reprograming NETosis for Targeted Microglia Polarizing Mediated Ischemic Stroke Treatment.

Precise and efficient regulation of microglia is vital for ischemic stroke therapy and prognosis. The infiltration of neutrophils into the brain provides opportunities for regulatory drugs across the blood-brain barrier, while hindered by neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) and targeted delivery of intracerebral drugs to microglia. This study reports an efficient neutrophil hijacking nanoplatform (referred to as APTS) for targeted A151 (a telomerase repeat sequence) delivery to microglia without the generation of NETs.

Effect of levosimendan on ventricular remodelling in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction: a meta-analysis.

Heart failure is the final stage of several cardiovascular diseases, and the key to effectively treating heart failure is to reverse or delay ventricular remodelling. Levosimendan is a novel inotropic and vasodilator agent used in heart failure, whereas the impact of levosimendan on ventricular remodelling is still unclear. This study aims to investigate the impact of levosimendan on ventricular remodelling in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction.

N-homocysteinylation of DJ-1 promotes neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease.

DJ-1, also known as Parkinson's disease protein 7 (Park7), is a multifunctional protein that regulates oxidative stress and mitochondrial function. Dysfunction of DJ-1 is implicated in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). Hyperhomocysteinemia is associated with an increased risk of PD.

Crystal Facet Engineering on SrTiO Enhances Photocatalytic Overall Water Splitting.

Single-crystal semiconductor-based photocatalysts exposing unique crystallographic facets show promising applications in energy and environmental technologies; however, crystal facet engineering through solid-state synthesis for photocatalytic overall water splitting is still challenging. Herein, we develop a novel crystal facet engineering strategy through solid-state recrystallization to synthesize uniform SrTiO single crystals exposing tailored {111} facets. The presynthesized low-crystalline SrTiO precursors enable the formation of well-defined single crystals through kinetically improved crystal structure transformation during solid-state recrystallization process.

Light-driven micro/nanomotors in biomedical applications.

Nanotechnology brings hope for targeted drug delivery. However, most current drug delivery systems use passive delivery strategies with limited therapeutic efficiency. Over the past two decades, research on micro/nanomotors (MNMs) has flourished in the biomedical field.

SERS-Based Optical Nanobiosensors for the Detection of Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a leading cause of dementia, impacting millions worldwide. However, its complex neuropathologic features and heterogeneous pathophysiology present significant challenges for diagnosis and treatment. To address the urgent need for early AD diagnosis, this review focuses on surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based biosensors, leveraging the excellent optical properties of nanomaterials to enhance detection performance.

Bacteroides Fragilis in the gut microbiomes of Alzheimer's disease activates microglia and triggers pathogenesis in neuronal C/EBPβ transgenic mice.

Gut dysbiosis contributes to Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis, and Bacteroides strains are selectively elevated in AD gut microbiota. However, it remains unknown which Bacteroides species and how their metabolites trigger AD pathologies. Here we show that Bacteroides fragilis and their metabolites 12-hydroxy-heptadecatrienoic acid (12-HHTrE) and Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) activate microglia and induce AD pathogenesis in neuronal C/EBPβ transgenic mice.

Simultaneous Solar-Thermal Desalination and Catalytic Degradation of Wastewater Containing Both Salt Ions and Organic Contaminants.

Although solar steam generation is promising in generating clean water by desalinating seawater, it is powerless to totally degrade organic contaminants in the seawater. Herein, solar steam generation and catalytic degradation are integrated to generate clean water by simultaneous solar-driven desalination and catalytic degradation of wastewater containing both salt ions and organic contaminants. Stepwise decoration of three-dimensional nickel foam with polypyrrole, reduced graphene oxide (RGO), and cobalt phosphate is realized to obtain polypyrrole/RGO/cobalt phosphate/nickel foam (PGCN) hybrids for solar-driven desalination and catalytic degradation of wastewater containing antibiotics and salt ions.

Inhibition of miR-543 alleviates cardiac fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transformation and collagen expression in insulin resistance via targeting PTEN.

Background: Myocardial interstitial fibrosis is an important manifestation of diabetic heart disease, and insulin resistance is one of the mechanisms of myocardial interstitial fibrosis. Some studies have found that miR-543 is associated with insulin resistance, but whether it plays a role in diabetic myocardial interstitial fibrosis remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the role of miR-543 in diabetic myocardial interstitial fibrosis.

Circuit- and laminar-specific regulation of medial prefrontal neurons by chronic stress.

Background: Chronic stress exposure increases the risk of mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is a hub for controlling stress responses through communicating with multiple limbic structures, including the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and nucleus accumbens (NAc). However, considering the complex topographical organization of the mPFC neurons in different subregions (dmPFC vs.

Plasma lipid profiles and homocysteine levels in anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis.

Introduction: We aimed to investigate whether lipid profiles and homocysteine levels in patients with anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis are related to clinical presentation and prognosis, which may contribute to further research on the pathogenesis and treatment of this disease.

Methods: This study included a total of 43 patients with anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis and 43 sex-age-matched healthy controls. Baseline demography, clinical data, patient outcomes, and ancillary examination results were recorded.

Stimulation of soluble guanylate cyclase by vericiguat reduces skeletal muscle atrophy of mice following chemotherapy.

The chemotherapeutic doxorubicin (DOX) promotes severe skeletal muscle atrophy, which induces skeletal muscle weakness and fatigue. Soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) contributes to a variety of pathophysiological processes, but whether it is involved in DOX-induced skeletal muscle atrophy is unclear. The present study aimed to stimulate sGC by vericiguat, a new oral sGC stimulator, to test its role in this process.